I walked back to her, returning my hands to where they had been. “Pack. Your. Shit. You’re living with me until we get this taken care of.”
“I am not—”
“You wanna fight me?” I threatened. “Fine. But you’re gonna lose, Rome. You’re gonna lose so fucking hard.” My eyes were wide open, and my hands were shaking. “Do as I say, or I’ll make you. What’s it gonna be?”
Normally Rome would fight me tooth and nail. But she must have known I’d reached my boiling point. I was so insane with rage I couldn’t think straight anymore. Or she was really that scared, too afraid to stay in her own apartment because that psychopath could come back at any moment. “Give me a minute to pack…”
I finally stepped back after she was cooperating. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared her down. “Hurry your ass up. I don’t want you in this apartment a moment longer than necessary.”
The ride back to my place was saturated with intensity.
My hand was still tight in a fist on my thigh, my knuckles white and about to snap. I kept my eyes glued out the window, not looking at Rome or getting too close to her. I was so angry with her I didn’t know what to do with myself. I wanted to strangle her, suffocate her. The betrayal was so searing I couldn’t think straight.
She didn’t make the mistake of uttering a single word. I didn’t give a damn if my driver overheard our entire conversation, but to save herself some embarrassment, she was smart to stay quiet.
We arrived back at the house, and to my surprise, Christopher was still there.
“I didn’t know if you were coming back…didn’t have a clue how to—” He stopped talking when he saw Rome pulling her suitcase behind her into the house. He eyed her before he turned back to me, silently asking for an explanation.
“She’s living with me now.” I pointed to the door.
Christopher looked at Rome. “What’s going on—”
“We’ll talk about it later. But for now, I need to be alone with Rome.” I only kept my temper in check because he was kind enough to tell me the truth. But make no mistake, I was on the verge of screaming.
This time, Christopher did as I commanded. He walked out and shut the door, leaving Rome alone with me. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if that was a wise thing to do.
Once the door was shut and we were alone together, the silence was deafening. It was so quiet I could hear the blood pounding behind my ears. When I tightened my fists, I could hear the slight crack of my knuckles.
Rome stood beside her suitcase, her arms tight around her waist. It was the first time I’d seen her lose her confidence. She appeared apologetic, knowing she was guilty for what she had done. She didn’t hold her head high with elegance, with the respect of a queen.
I asked the biggest question on my mind. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You know why.”
“I really don’t.” I kept my voice low, but the threat in my tone never faded away. “And you’re going to tell me.”
“Because I knew you would do something stupid—like murder him.”
“That doesn’t sound stupid at all—quite the opposite.” I wanted this man’s body inside a dumpster on 12th Street, rotting away and stinking up the alley. I wanted his corpse to be cut into small pieces, perfect for feeding fish in the harbor.
“He’s a very powerful man—”
“And you think I’m not?” I was an opponent that never lost a battle.
“You’ve worked really hard to build this life. I didn’t want to tear you down with this.”
“Tear me down?”
“He can make your life a nightmare, Calloway. Christopher has tried intervening, but I know Hank would take his license away, get him fired, and strip away all of his accomplishments. I couldn’t let that happen to him. And I’m not gonna let that happen to you.”
“I’d like to see him try.” I closed the space between us, cornering Rome against the wall. “This is how this is going to work. You live here with me now. I’ll take you to work every day and anywhere else you want to go. But you stay in my sight at all times. Got it?”
She wanted to argue. It was obvious by the darkness in her eyes. Her lips pressed tightly together like she was trying to swallow the argument.
“I didn’t hear you.” I pressed my face closer to hers.
“I think it’s a little extreme—”
I grabbed her by the neck, unable to control my temper. “Wrong answer. This guy broke in to your apartment and messed you up. If anything, it’s not extreme enough. Now, you will do as I say. Got it?”
She didn’t push my hand away, but her eyes broke contact with mine. She was overpowered and outsmarted. She knew she was in the wrong for letting things get so bad without my help. “Okay.”